


The Time Rafael Was A Good Big Brother

by heartsdesire456



Series: Max Two 'Verse [8]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Family Fluff, Feels, Fluff, Gen, Good Brother Rafael, Insecurity, M/M, Tiny Mention of Racism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 20:31:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7546593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsdesire456/pseuds/heartsdesire456
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rafael notices something is wrong with his brother and does his best to get to the bottom of things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Time Rafael Was A Good Big Brother

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY! SO this is the most adorable thing ever and IT ISN'T MY IDEA! I don't remember which of you suggested this in the comments of a previous fic, but HERE WE ARE!
> 
> I told you I was gonna write it!

Rafael had been Max’s brother long enough to know when something was wrong, but for the life of him, he couldn’t work out why Max was so quiet on their way home from the Institute. Papa had been talked into Portalling them from the Institute to go on their vacation, so they had returned there. Rafael had liked Paris and then they went to Italy, which was really cool, and then they went to Spain, which was fun, cause he and Papa were the only ones who understood what everybody was saying clearly. Dad and Max tried, and they had learned a lot from Papa and Rafael, but it was still fun.

However, Max was very quiet and, while Papa and Dad were talking about how much they had to do now that vacation was over, Rafael didn’t miss how quiet Max was. Even when they got home, Max just went to his room, he didn’t try to play with Rafael or watch TV or nothing. Rafael didn’t like it, but he didn’t bother him. He was tired so he figured Max might just be tired, too.

The next day, when Papa was busy in his office with a client and Dad was at the Institute, Rafael found Max sitting on his floor, looking at his Cookie Monster and he could see the sad look on his face. “Max? What’s wrong?” Rafael asked, going to sit beside him.

Max shrugged, hugging his toy close, but Rafael knew better. He may not have been his brother long, but Max was his little brother and Rafael knew his brother. “Max,” he said softly and Max sighed, looking down at his legs.

“Rafi, do you think I look weird?” he asked, voice soft and warbling. Rafael’s eyes widened as he heard the sad, quiet words out of his little brother’s mouth.

“What? Why would you ask that?” he demanded, scooching closer to Max on his knees.

Max dropped Cookie and looked at his hands. “I’m all blue,” he whispered. “And- and-“ He reached up and touched his little horns where they peeked out of his curly hair. “I got horns.”

Rafael startled some, looking at Max in utter uncertainty. Honestly, he had never really thought that much about it. Yeah, Max looked weird when they first met, but he didn’t look that different from everybody else. He was just a different color. Papa was a different color than Dad and Rafael was a slightly different color than Papa but not the same color as dad, either. Sure, Max was a much different color, but still, none of them had the same colors. They all had dark hair but Papa’s was black, and Dad’s was almost black but more brown than Papa’s, and Rafael’s was even lighter brown than Dad’s, and Max’s hair was dark blue that was almost black. Max had the only blue eyes out of all of them, but Dad’s eyes had green in them, Rafael’s were brown, and they knew that Papa’s eyes were gold like a kitty’s eyes. All in all, Rafael hadn’t really ever thought too much about their colors not being the same.

“Well… Papa’s got kitty eyes,” Rafael offered. “And Dad’s got Marks all over him. I got that weird freckle thing,” he said, gesturing to his side. “You got horns,” he said with a small shrug.

Max sighed, pouting. “Everywhere we go, everybody’s either brown or white or pink somehow. I’m the only one that’s blue.”

“You’re a warlock,” Rafael reminded him. “There’s warlocks with other colors. And when you go out, you turn yourself white to match Dad.”

Max looked up with sad eyes that made Rafael’s heart hurt. “But at home I’m still weird looking. Even Papa’s just got eyes like a kitty. I’m weird _everywhere_.” He huffed. “I wish I was a normal color. I don’t like being blue.”

“But why?” Rafael asked worriedly. “You’re blue! Like the sky at night! And the ocean!” he said excitedly. “Lots of people are brown and white and pink, but you’re special colored. It makes you so cool.”

Max sighed. “I don’t wanna be cool. I just don’t like being the only weird one.”

Rafael watched his brother’s sad face and pouty lip and got a great idea. “Hold on, I’ll be back,” he said, jumping up to run to his room with haste.

~

When Alec got home, the first thing he saw was a little handprint on the corner of the wall going into the hallway in some green liquid. His first instinct was that Magnus had summoned a demon for a client and lost control and it followed the client to their home and the demon’s ooze had gotten on his child’s hands, which had him panicking and grabbing for his seraph blade before he could stop and think clearly.

There was no smell of ichor in the air, there was no sign of a fight, Magnus was working at home so no demons that day, and most of all, Chairman Meow was sitting on the sofa looking calm as ever, whereas if something had gone wrong, he would either have been killed by whatever had attacked them or he would be running around frantic because his family was in trouble.

Alec stowed his seraph blade and headed to Magnus’s office, to see what the kids had gotten into. When he got to the door, he heard voices, so he knocked before opened the door and ducking his head in. Magnus looked up from his desk, where he was writing out a contract for an old lady sitting across from him. “Oh, you’re home early.” Magnus smiled. “Did you have a good day at work, Darling?”

Alec nodded. “Hey, I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you happen to know why there’s a little, green handprint on the _wall_ at the end of the hallway?”

Magnus narrowed his eyes. “Oh there is, is there?”

“Did we have any of that paint left from your weird artistic kick a few months ago?” Alec asked, and Magnus scrunched up his nose.

“Maybe?” he said. “If the boys got into it, then we’re gonna have a tree painted on a bedroom wall, I bet,” he added, rolling his eyes as he looked to the elderly woman. “You can’t turn your back for a minute with little children, huh, Ethel?”

Alec smiled and gestured out the door. “I’m just gonna go check on them. I’ll save the lecture for when you can help,” he said and Magnus sighed heavily.

“We’ll be done here, soon, and those boys better have a good explanation for handprints on my walls,” he said as Alec stepped back into the hall.

Alec walked down the hall and stopped at Max’s room, but the kids weren’t in there. There were little splatters of paint on the floor, though, which gave him a bad feeling. He continued on to the bathroom in the hall, but found it once again childless and once again, paint-splattered. There were little footprints on the tiles that he knew would be hell to clean up. He was getting increasingly annoyed with the kids as he left and made for the final place they might be.

When he opened the door to Rafael’s bedroom, he immediately spotted the culprit of the paint debacle. Rafael was sitting on the floor coloring on construction paper with Max while _painted green_. Alec stared, mouth open wordlessly as he tried to come up with any reasonable explanation for why one of his children’s entire body was painted green. Every inch of his skin not covered by his clothes was green. It was even _behind his ears_. His palms were about the only thing showing his skin, and that was probably because he’d rubbed paint off on everything else before it dried.

“What on earth is going on here?” Alec asked incredulously. They both whipped around and looked at him. “Why is Rafael _green_?” he asked with a disbelieving sigh. “Boys. Really. Of all the things you could do.”

Max looked suitably cowed, but Rafael just held his head high. “There is nothing wrong with it,” he said firmly, confusing Alec.

“With getting _paint_ all over our house?” he asked flatly. He shook his head and turned around. “We’re gonna wait for Papa for this entire conversation, guys. I really just can’t.” He left to go change while waiting for Magnus to finish up with business, and when he emerged from their room, Magnus was just seeing his client out.

Magnus turned around and glared at the handprint on the wall. “Please tell me that’s the worst of it,” he said and Alec just scoffed.

“Hell no.” He rubbed a hand through his hair, still confused. “There’s paint in Max’s room, and all over the bathroom floor, and-“ He stopped and shook his head. “Just… come see for yourself. I couldn’t even begin to understand so I just gave up and decided to wait for you,” he said, leading the way to Rafael’s room.

When they got there, Max had gone, presumably to his room, and Rafael was coloring by himself. Still painted green. Magnus stopped short, then turned to look at Alec with a very clear, ‘What the fuck?’ in his eyes. “Uh… Rafe. Why are you green?” Magnus asked, walking over to where Rafael was coloring.

Alec followed and stood beside Magus, arms crossed sternly as they looked down at their son. “Can you understand why we’re not so happy about the paint all over the house?” Alec asked, and Rafael, unexpectedly, stood tall, head held high, and held a firm gaze with Alec.

“I know it’s a mess, but it was worth it,” he said resolutely.

Magnus raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” he asked. “And what, exactly, was the reason to paint yourself green? Did you and Max want to play a game? Because I’m pretty sure there are better costumes than a piece of lettuce.”

Rafael shook his head. “I painted myself green cause Max was sad he’s blue. I didn’t like him being sad, and if he thinks he’s too weird cause he’s blue, I’m weirder cause I’m bright green.”

Alec’s breath caught in his throat as Rafael’s words sank in. “Why was Max sad about being blue?” he asked and Magnus looked up at him with pain and surprise in his eyes.

Rafael pouted. “I don’t know. I think because nobody else is blue. But he is so cool being blue and I don’t want him to be sad about something so cool.”

Magnus knelt down so he was level with Rafael. “Rafael… you painted yourself green so that Max wasn’t the weirdest color?” he asked, and Rafael nodded. Magnus reached out touching his flaky little green cheek. “Oh, my baby, you are such a good big brother,” he breathed. He shook his head, and Alec could see tears growing in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have messed with paint on your own, and you will be cleaning it all up, but I just-“ He shook his head, pulling Rafael into a hug, even if it got dry paint all over him. “Your heart is so wonderful. You are the sweetest boy. I didn’t think anybody could shock me with their kindness after all these years with your dad in my life, but you, my love, are the kindest person I may have ever known.” He kissed his face. “I love you so much, Rafe. You’re still in trouble for doing something you shouldn’t have, but that was such a sweet thing to do for your little brother.”

Rafael returned his hug. “I love you, Papa.” He pulled back, looking sheepish. “I know I made a mess. But Max isn’t sad anymore. So it’s worth it.”

Alec just leaned down to kiss the top of his head. “I’m still sort of mad you made a mess, but I’m so proud of you,” he whispered and Rafael gave him a shy little smile. “Now, you get in the bathroom and start with the paint on the floor. It’s still wet on surfaces that aren’t _you_ , so you can get to scrubbing now, before you take a shower and get all of this off of you,” he said without the usual heat his voice would hold.

Rafael nodded without a word and turned to leave. When he was gone, Magnus stood up again and looked at Alec, who just shook his head in surprise. Magnus beamed. “He gets it from you, you know,” Magnus said, sliding his arms around Alec’s middle. He stood on his tiptoes and pecked Alec’s lips. “You’re an amazing big brother to your siblings, and that’s the example he has of how to be a big brother.”

Alec’s growing warmth in his heart was doused by the other problem. “Max is unhappy because of his color,” he said sadly and Magnus’s face fell.

“I know, God, do you think it was us?” he asked worriedly. “Have we done something, or said something to make him think- to imply- well- anything?”

Alec shook his head. “I don’t know, but I feel like we should probably talk to him about it. I don’t know where this came from all of a sudden.”

“Me neither,” Magnus agreed, looking heartbroken at the concept. “God, my precious little Blueberry being unhappy because he’s blue just- God.” He put a hand over his face for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. Let’s just do this.”

They went to Max’s room, checking to make sure Rafael wasn’t trying to clean up the paint with clean towels instead of a scrub brush on their way past the bathroom, and entered Max’s room to find him sitting on the floor, playing with his Cookie Monster toy with a weird look on his face. “Max?” Magnus said softly, going over to him.

Magnus looked up. “Hey, Papa.”

Alec and Magnus both sat down with Max, crossing their legs under them so they were more on his level. “Max, Rafael told us you were sad. Do you want to tell us why?” Alec asked gently. He didn’t want to push Max if he didn’t want to talk about it, but he really wanted him to tell them what was wrong.

Max’s little shoulders slumped some and he looked at his toy instead of at them. “Why am I blue?” he asked sullenly. “Nobody else is blue. Why can’t I stay white like my glamor?” he asked in such a small, sad voice that Alec had to fight a lump in his throat.

“Sweetheart, what brought this on?” Magnus asked, reaching out to stroke his curls out of his eyes, looking into their bright blue depths.

“Cause _nobody_ is blue,” Max said plaintively. “We went all over tons of places and everybody’s either brown or white or pink. There ain’t no blue people or any other color not anywhere, but I’m blue. It’s not fair! Why am I the only blue person?”

Alec looked up at Magnus, whose breath escaped in a whoosh. “Oh, Max.”

Max looked at Magnus. “Can’t you just make me white like daddy or tan like Rafi always?”

“But you’re beautiful,” Alec said tightly. He reached out and picked Max up, pulling him into his lap. “Max,” he gasped, holding him tight, cheek rested on top of his head, careful of his horns. “Max, you are _beautiful_.” He pulled away enough to look down into his eyes. “From the minute I looked at you, Max, you were such a beautiful baby. Your skin is perfect, not something to be ashamed of.”

Max grumbled. “Nobody else is perfect, then.”

“You’re not the _only_ blue warlock ever, Max,” Magnus informed him, smiling. “Baby boy, I have known so many warlocks in my life, and some of us are like me, with very easily hidden warlock marks, but I’ve known people with wings so big they couldn’t fit in this room, and horns like a deer, not like your little adorable horns, and people with fingers like a lizard, and tails, and just about anything you can think of.” He shook his head. “But every one of them is still beautiful. Because there is nothing wrong with being the way you were born. Even for us warlocks.”

Alec and Magnus had never actually explained to Max (as best as you could explain to a child that small) where warlocks came from and _why_ they had marks, and that was not something they could even begin to explain to him now. “Hey,” he said, looking down at Max. “You know how Rafael had those weird freckles on his side?” Max nodded. “Well those funny looking freckles are beautiful, because that’s how Rafael was born.” He nodded to Magnus. “There are people out there that, even without Papa being a warlock, they would think he’s ugly just because of him being Asian, and you know Papa’s beautiful,” he said and Max nodded as if that were the most obvious thing ever, making Magnus roll his eyes at them. Alec smiled teasingly at Magnus. “There’s nothing wrong with being different. There are people out there who are scared of what’s different or think it’s bad to be different, but there is nothing wrong with being whatever you just are,” Alec said to Max.

“You know how we explained why that man said that mean thing to me and Dad that one time?” Magnus asked, thinking back to a very unusual occurrence of a man yelling ‘fags’ at Alec and Magnus while they were walking with the boys several months ago. Max nodded and Magnus tapped his chin. “Remember how we explained that some people think it’s bad for me and Dad to be together because two boys is ‘different’?” Max watched him curiously and Magnus nodded. “There’s nothing wrong with your dad loving me when I’m a boy just like him, is there?” he asked and Max’s eyes widened.

“No! Those people are just stupid!” he said passionately, making Magnus smile.

“Yes, they are, but if nothing is wrong with me and Dad being different, me especially since I’m Asian and even more different than him, then there is nothing wrong with you being different, too,” Magnus said with finality.

Max sighed, nodding. “But… if it’s okay to be blue, why do I have to hide it? Doesn’t that mean it’s bad?”

“No,” Alec said firmly. “You have to hide it the same reason that I hid the fact I loved boys before you came along,” he said sadly. “It’s because other people are stupid, just like you said, but stupid people can be dangerous. I wish so much you never had to glamor yourself, Maxi, but Mundanes would freak out because different things scare them and scared people do terrible things sometimes.” He kissed the top of his head. “It’s not fair and I know it, but if somebody hurt you because they’re too stupid to handle you being blue, it would kill me, Max. Me and Papa both.”

Max nodded, looking up at him. “Dad, you’re not ashamed of me being blue, then? It’s just to keep me safe?”

“I will never, ever be ashamed of having a blue baby boy,” Alec said very seriously. “Never. You’re perfect in every single way, just how you are. Don’t ever doubt that I feel that way.”

Magnus shook his head, cupping Max’s face in his hand. “You’re beautiful just how you are, Max. And you should never be ashamed of being different.” He kissed his forehead, smiling when Max scrunched his nose up. “Blueberry, when you’re older, and your magic’s a little more mature, I’ll teach you how to glamor yourself so that only Mundanes can’t see how blue you are and your horns,” he promised. “That way that everywhere you go, other Downworlders will see your beautiful, blue skin, and you can show it off.”

Max smiled and nodded. “Okay.” Magnus let out a small 'oof' when Max lunged at him to hug him, knocking him back a little. Alec just snickered at him, but reached out to rub Max’s back even as Magnus made a face at him over Max’s shoulder.

~

Magnus called in a favor to someone he would normally never ask to risk coming out of hiding a week later, and he could tell she knew it was so worth it when, as soon as Catarina walked into the apartment to ‘come meet with Magnus’, Max’s eyes got really big and he whispered to his brother, “Look! She’s blue, too! Oh wow, she’s so pretty, she looks like the sky!” Max spent the next two or three days smiling every time he looked at his own blue skin.


End file.
